Are solicitor's conveyancing costs excessive?

Horseygirl123

It's been a long time since I've sold/bought property so when a friend and I agreed to do a swap, ie. me buying her land/stables and she buying a vacant house from me which had previously been rented, I used the solicitor that her solicitor recommended and rather naievely didn't get a quote beforehand.

My friend had said that her solicitor estimated a cost of around £700-800. As the properties were of the same value of £75,000 and we neither required any searches I thought my bill would be the same.

My bill however is £1,150 which is £450 more than my friends bill. I was surprised but I paid it and thought about writing my solicitor a letter asking him why he was much more expensive.

Another friend has told me that the solicitor should have given me an estimate before he undertook the work regardless of whether I had asked him for a quote.

Any advice please before I make a complete !!!!!! of myself.

Thanks.

Fire_Fox

Why don't you require searches? Have you received a breakdown of the charges and compared them to a breakdown of the charges levied on your friend? Are you comparing like with like? Legal fees are a combination of the conveyancer's expenses and time, they will vary from property to property depending how much work is required. A leasehold flat for example will require queries to be put to the freeholder, a freehold house will not.

G_M

You should have been sent a list of charges, and agreed them, before work started.

http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/for-the-public/using-a-solicitor/
Solicitors' charges


Legal advice, like anything else you buy, costs money, but its value can be enormous. Charges vary between solicitors, and will depend on the expertise and experience of the individual solicitor as well as how complicated the work is.

Before making a decision about which solicitor to use, you may want to ‘shop around’. Decide on what sort of solicitor you need to speak to and get quotes from several. Many solicitors charge little or nothing for a short first interview. It is worth asking.

However, price is not the only thing you have to consider. Above all, try to find a solicitor who you are comfortable with and whose advice you feel you understand.

Fixed or hourly rate?


Solicitors don’t always charge a fixed fee for a particular job. The bill will often be worked out on an hourly basis, so the longer it takes, the more it costs. A solicitor must give you a cost estimate at the outset, usually at the first interview.

If an hourly rate is quoted, you may want to agree a fixed spending limit. If the costs look likely to go over this limit your solicitor will contact you to warn you and get your agreement to continue.

amjustagirl

Always request a breakdown copy of their charges in writing.

Horseygirl123

I've got a breakdown of their costs which came with the bill. I'm just waiting for my friend to give me a copy of her costs and then I'm writing to the solicitor.

I'm just a bit surprised as I didn't want any searches as it's just land I'm buying but my friend did have a search done on my house and her bill is still £450 cheaper.

Fire_Fox

Most here will have experience of buying houses only, as per the title of the board. Without seeing the breakdown it is impossible to comment further.